Germany explodes huge WWII bomb in Munich (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

A Munich firefighter handout picture shows fire in downtown Munich August 28, 2012. Bomb experts made a controlled detonation of a 250 kilo World War II bomb on Tuesday night, after they decided they could not defuse it. (REUTERS/Handout)

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Authorities performed a controlled detonation of a 250 kilogram, WWII-era bomb in the heart of one of Germany’s largest cities.

Thousands of Munich residents had to be evacuated before the explosion, which was found under a nightclub famous for being a choice hangout of the Rolling Stones in the 1970s, could be set off.

But despite all the precautions, the explosion still caused massive damages – and it’s still unclear who will pay for the shattered windows, busted doors and burnt-out buildings.

A Munich firefighter handout picture shows fire in downtown Munich August 28, 2012. Bomb experts made a controlled detonation of a 250 kilo World War II bomb on Tuesday night, after they decided they could not defuse it. (REUTERS/Handout)

Bomb tech experts placed straw matting around the bomb, which swirled upwards in the vortex of heat created by the blast and set the roofs of five nearby buildings on fire.

Thirty fire engines and 200 firemen were on site to battle the blazes.

“Virtually all the window panes around the area have gone, but luckily no one was injured, and that is the main thing,” said Diethard Posorski, head of the team that carried out the explosion – which was heard all over the city of 1.4 million.